Joe Uscinski is associate professor in the University of Miami Political Science Department.

Professor Uscinski originally hails from New Hampshire. He received his B.A. from Plymouth State University and his M.A. from University of New Hampshire. Joe earned his PhD in American politics at the University of Arizona.

Joe teaches courses on and researches conspiracy theories, media bias, public opinion, popular culture, elections, Congress, the Constitution, and the presidency and vice-presidency.

Associate Professor of Political Science

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Americans have been conspiracy theorists since the beginning of America, but what do we really know about American Conspiracy Theories? Why do some burn brightly and endure while others flicker and fade? Are conspiracy theorists just like everyone else? Using a trove of original data, American Conspiracy Theories is the first work to systematically assess over a century of U.S conspiracy theories. Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent find that much of what we know about conspiracy theories is wrong. Beneath the surface of successful conspiracy theories lurks a strategic logic: shifts in political power have predictable effects on Americans' perceptions.

In an ideal world, journalists act selflessly and in the public interest regardless of the financial consequences. However, in reality, news outlets no longer provide the most important and consequential stories to audiences; instead, news producers adjust news content in response to ratings, audience demographics, and opinion polls. While such criticisms of the news media are widely shared, few can agree on the causes of poor news quality. The People’s News argues that the incentives in the American free market drive news outlets to report news that meets audience demands, rather than democratic ideals.In short, audiences’ opinions drive the content that so often passes off as “the news.”